1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for loading wood logs into a wood-burning stove or fireplace. In particular, the device comprises a load support means and unique handle means providing easy loading of logs into the wood-burning area of the stove, fireplace, etc.
Recently, with the increase in the cost of domestic heating oil, there has been renewed interest in domestic heating and cooking with the use of wood-burning stoves and fireplaces. With the increased use of wood to produce heat for domestic purposes, has come a need for feeding wood fires easily and safely without injury and without damaging the wood-burning device or disturbing the wood fuel already in place. The present invention is a loading device which enables such safe and easy loading of logs into a wood-burning device. Due to its light weight and unique construction, any individual can lift and load a wood log into a wood-burning stove or fireplace easily and safely.
2. Disclosure Statement
The present invention provides for a unique arrangement of a load support surface and a handle means which enables the easy lifting and loading of a wood log. An example of a loading device utilizing a load support surface comprising two parallel spaced members is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,420,546, issued June 20, 1922, to Hermelink et al, for lifting barrels. The loading device of this patent includes transverse flexible elements located between the spaced members for respective engagement with the opposite sides of the barrel or receptacle adjacent respectively to the opposite ends thereof. A tool for cleaning furnace grates is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,099,355, issued Nov. 16, 1937, to Teorell, in which a blade segment is pushed into the furnace by means of a straight pushing handle, the tool further including a crank rocking handle for causing the blade segment to oscillate about the longitudinal axis of the pushing handle. Neither of these two patents, however, discloses the loading device of the present invention including the unique arrangement of the load support surface and the pair of spaced upwardly inclined handle members. U.S. Pat. No. 2,575,794, issued Nov. 20, 1951, to Chauncey, discloses a fork for lifting baled hay comprising the conventional elongated spaced tines and a unique handle means comprising one handle placed directly behind the tines and another handle connected to an L-shaped member which extends over and between the tines, the second handle member inclined upwardly and extending in the direction of the pointed ends of the tines. While this patent discloses the use of two handle members for supporting a load, the configuration of the handle members would not provide for the easy and safe loading of a log into a wood-burning fire as does the present invention since the second handle member would certainly limit the size of log which could be handled and its position near the front of the load support means could cause serious injury to persons utilizing this device to load wood logs into a fire.